(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component feeding apparatus which ranges and feeds electronic components stored in bulk.
(2) Description of the Related Art
This type of electronic component feeding apparatus has been disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-232596. The apparatus disclosed in the specification takes chip components stored in bulk in a component storeroom into a component transport tube longitudinally, using the vertical travel of a component retrieval tube, discharges them from the component retrieval tube onto a belt, and transports them by the belt. The chip component transported into a predetermined position is taken out by a suction nozzle or the like and mounted on a substrate and the like.
With increases in the loading speed of components onto the substrate and the like, feeding performance capable of keeping pace with component retrieval in a fast-cycle time of 0.1 second or less is now required of this type of electronic component feeding apparatus. However, with the structure of the apparatus described above, it is difficult to enhance the efficiency with which components are taken into the component transport tube even if the vertical travel speed of the component retrieval tube is increased. Thus, enhancement of the feeding performance is structurally limited.
To meet the above demand, an apparatus is newly required that can efficiently feed electronic components such as chip components in the shape of a rectangular prism, a cylinder, or the like and keep pace with fast-cycle component retrieval.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel electronic component feeding apparatus which can keep pace with fast-cycle component retrieval.
To attain the above object, an electronic component feeding apparatus of the present invention comprises: a storeroom for storing electronic components with a predetermined shape in bulk; a feeding rotor having a recess for forming a parallel space with a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis, said feeding rotor being rotatably disposed on the bottom of the storeroom in a state of facing a part of an outer periphery thereof onto the storeroom and communicating the parallel space with the storeroom, said parallel space capable of taking in a plurality of electronic components from the storeroom in a predetermined orientation; rotor driving means for oscillating the feeding rotor within a predetermined angular range; and a feeding path having a cross-sectional shape for allowing the electronic components to be taken in one by one in a predetermined orientation from the parallel space and allowing the electronic components to move downward by gravity.
By oscillating the feeding rotor within a predetermined angular range, this electronic component feeding apparatus can take the electronic components stored in bulk in the storeroom into the parallel space in such an orientation that the center line of the electronic components will be parallel to the parallel space, and move the electronic components in the parallel space toward the feeding path each time the bottom of the parallel space tilts down toward the feeding path during an oscillation of the feeding rotor, and take the electronic components into the feeding path one by one in such an orientation that the center line of the electronic components will be parallel to the feeding path, and allow the electronic component taken into the feeding path to move downward by gravity.
Thus, by simply oscillating the feeding rotor within a predetermined angular range, the apparatus can feed, in aligned form, the electronic components stored in bulk in the storeroom, in an efficient and stable manner. Therefore, the apparatus provides feeding performance capable of keeping pace with component retrieval in a fast cycle time of 0.1 second or less.